Present practice for providing electrical energy to houses and buildings and the like involves providing, typically near a Service Entrance, a number of fuseable elements, (eg. fuses and circuit breakers are particularly relevant examples), in a common Panel. Wiring, (eg. typically “BX Cable”), is typically run from each utilized fuseable element to electrical boxes at locations within the house or building and the like, electrical energy access to which is to be controlled by said fuseable element. This approach necessitates the drilling of holes through house or building and the like wall supporting means (studs etc.), and securing the ends of wires in said cables at electrical boxes, (eg. receptacles, switches etc.), by, for instance, screws. Typically, additional lengths of cabling will be originated at an electrical box and run in a similar manner to other electrical boxes. It will be appreciated that said approach to providing electrical energy access requires that numerous lengths of “BX Cables” be run from a distantly located common Panel, wherein are present a multiplicity of Fuseable Elements, to provide selective electrical energy access control by specific Fuseable Elements present in said Panel. For this reason, a great deal of BX Cable, (or equivalent), is typically necessary to properly wire a house or building and the like. Considering that it is preferred practice to provide separate fuseable element control for lighting, and for electrical receptacles, in an area of a house or building and the like, it is not unusual, for instance, to find ten (10) to twenty (20) or more BX Cables, each of a significant length, exiting from a common fusible element containing Panel. In addition, it should be appreciated that the placement of individual electrical receptacle systems in a room of a house or building and the like is often dictated by ease of installation concerns of an electrician, rather than end user convenience. As a result, end users are often forced to use extension cords and octopus outlets to utilize inconveniently positioned installed electrical receptacles.
One can appreciate that materials and installation costs associated with providing electrical energy to houses and building and the like, by the above alluded to typical practice, can be, and often are, very high. In addition, the fact that typical practice provides that BX Cable be directly run through flammable wood studs and walls and the like, it can be appreciated that safety is a concern. As said BX Cable ages, or mice for instance gnaw away insulation therefrom, or nails are pounded into a wall, wiring in BX cables can be caused to short out in direct contact with flammable materials. Even when run in conduit, wires in cables can, under stressed circumstances, short to a conduit, burn therethrough, and cause fires.
A system and method of application thereof which would provide that electrical distribution be accomplished predominately by a safely enclosed prefabricated Bus Duct System, with only relatively short runs of cabling being required to interconnect said Bus Duct System with end user accessible electrical receptacles and lighting systems and the like, would therefore be of utility. In addition, an electrical receptacle system which would provide essentially continuous end user accessability to electrical energy anywhere in a room of a house or building and the like, would negate the need for installed cables between electrical outlet providing electrical boxes, and, after installation, necessitated end user use of extension cords and octopus outlets etc. Such a system and method would also allow the location of Fuseable Element Containing Disconnect Systems to be conveniently positioned near the electrical entrance to a room of a house or building and the like, with said Fusible Element Containing Disconnect System being, preferably, plugged into said Bus Duct System, with actual Fusible Elements being conveniently located near the room served. As anyone who has ever had to use a flashlight in a dark basement location to find a blown fuseable element, (amongst many), at a common fusible element containing Panel will agree, this would be very end user convenient. As well, providing separate Fused Element Containing Disconnect Systems for the lighting, and for the electrical receptacles, in a room of a house or building and the like, would be simplified as duplicate lengths of BX Cable would not have to be run from a distantly located Fusible Element containing Panel for each said circuit. Simply tapping the closely situated Bus Duct at two relatively closely situated locations would suffice.
It should be specifically appreciated that a Bus Duct System utilized as a means to predominately provide electrical distribution in a house or building and the like, would be of factory prefabricated construction. Thus, Bus Duct System containment related safety concerns associated with electrical energy distribution, could be handled at a Bus Duct System fabrication stage, rather than left to individual electrician determination on a job by job basis, (regarding how BX Cable should be routed for instance). Similarly, safety concerns regarding electrical receptacles could also be handled by providing essentially continuously accessible electrical receptacle containing factory prefabricated Electric Receptacle Providing Baseboards.
A Search for relevant prior Patents has provided art in the areas of Bus Ducting, plug locking means and essentially continuously accessible electrical receptacle containing Baseboards.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,558 to Mayer describes a reduced cable requring, fusible bus duct system in combination with baseboard systems which are electically connected to one another via reactively short runs of cable. The system enables a method for providing electrical energy to houses and buildings and the like which greatly reduces the cable requirements and electrician efforts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,048 to Liebon et al. describes a prefabricated electrical Bus Duct comprising a protective casing in which are present a plurality of parallel longitudinally oriented grooves with current carrying “U” shaped bars housed in each. A plurality of taps, spaced evenly apart over the length of the casing, provide access to the conducting bars. While the Liebon et al. system might be considered as a means for providing electrical receptacle access, the receptacles involved are not essentially continuous, and thereby do not provide end user access to electrical energy at any point therealong. As well, there is no provision of a fused disconnect at the input thereto.
Another U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,633 to Krause et al, describes a busway section comprised of a plurality of elongated insulator coated flat busbars. Present as well are aperatures which are free of insulation, into which apertures electrical contacting bus plug stabs can be inserted to access electrical energy.
A Patent to Greger et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,657,606 describes a plug-in unit which is hooked into notches of a bus duct. An interlock prevents plugging into a bus when its in an “on” mode.
A Patent to Shannon et al. describes a system for locking a plug into a bus duct by a pivoting motion.
A British Patent, No. DE 3346-381-A describes a multiple point connector with predetermined outlets and intermediate construction between the bus duct and plugs which insert thereinto. There is not provision for fused disconnects.
A U.S. Pat. No. 2,478,006 to Paden describes a continuous electrical receptacle comprised of an extruded body with a pair of electrical conductors retained in grooves therein. U.S. Pat. No. 3,308,416 to Boyd describes a similar system.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,012,217 to Pantkin describes a continuous electric outlet system adapted to accommodate a plurality of outlet plugs, with a hollow molded plastic member provision for accommodating cables for special application, but it is not easily accessible along its length.
It is also noted that no known continuous electrical outlet system provides for the presence of more than two prong plug access. Modern house and building and the like electrical systems require two “hot” leads and a ground. As well, no known reference provides for the combination of a Bus duct provided source of electrical energy and essentially continuous electrical sockets, and provides means for providing electrical energy to auxilliary equipments.
Patents identified by the Examiner in Prosecution of Parent application Ser. No. 09/779,946, and which decribe systems of multiple outlets are:                U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,659 to Banks;        U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,399 to Yu;        U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,996 to Yu;        U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,522 to Johnson;        U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,518 to Chen;        U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,520 to Doudon.        
While the above summary of known prior Patents shows that inventors have realized the benefits associated with the use of Bus Duct Systems and electrical receptacle providing Baseboard systems, no known reference teaches that Bus Duct Systems with contained essentially continuously accessible Busbars, and Polarized Electric Receptacle Providing Baseboard Systems, should be combined into a required cable length reducing, safe to utilize, easy to install system for providing electrical energy to houses and buildings and the like, which combined systems provide for modular electrical Fused Element Containing Disconnect Systems near electrical loads, (rather than at a distantly located common multiple fusible element containing Panel), and which polarized Electric Receptacle Providing Baseboard System also provides an easily accessible raceway for containing additional wiring for telephone, computer, temperature control, security, and audio and the like systems. As well, no known reference teaches a Method of utilizing such a combined system to allow relatively quick, safe, inexpensive provision of, and maintenance of, electrical energy throughout a house or building and the like.
The present in invention responds to the identified state of the art.